Tips by Dr. Lori

Blog by Dr. Lori

I've got your exclusive top 3 tips for shopping at Oprah's upcoming auction. Watch out! It may be better for you to donate to Oprah's educational foundation directly instead of wasting money on buyer's fees and auction house commissions. Yes, some of Oprah's stuff is actually junk.

Here are my top 3 tips that can help you win big at Oprah's auction and at other auctions too.

1. Make sure it's Oprah's

Avoid items that are not Oprah's at Oprah's auction. Yes, you read that right, it is not a typo. At many auctions of famous people, the auction house will place items up for bid that are not even related to the person or celebrity that got you excited about the auction sale in the first place. Audiences are bigger at these celebrity auctions and auction houses try to take advantage of that. Don't get caught up in the excitement and don't buy a non-Oprah item. Forget the antique pram, dolls, or furniture as those items could come from any estate. Also, be careful of the auction box lot.

2. Don't buy these Oprah items!

Oprah is not known for her French antiques or her art collection, so don't waste money on this kind of stuff at the auction unless you want to overpay for Oprah's sofa. And, avoid the household and kitchen items like spatulas and used china as those things are merely conversation pieces. These will be the items that everyone wants to bid on because they will start out with low bids. People will think it is an easy and inexpensive way to own a piece of Oprah. As a result, there will be lots of bidders for those items and this small stuff will go for much more than what it is really worth. After the sale, these items will receive the press coverage because someone will have paid too much for something silly. The headline will read: "Record price paid for Oprah's potato peeler." Tell me, when do you think the last time was when Oprah peeled a potato? Come on.

3. Do buy these Oprah items!

Buy stuff that is related directly to Oprah and what she is known for--TV and film memorabilia will be the valuable and time tested collectibles at Oprah's auction. Buy the objects or memorabilia that closely relate to Oprah herself and what she is best known for--TV, films, productions, etc. Make sure it can be proven that these items like photographs, magazine covers, movie posters, and film clips were actually on her show or in one of her movies. Don't rely on those bogus certificates of authenticity, I never do. The 1998 magazine cover featuring Oprah or the movie poster from The Color Purple would be good choices.

Tips and real stories involving dumpsters, actual appraisal values and eBay that you can use to separate the reputable antiques dealers from the not so reputable. Many antiques dealers run upstanding businesses, but some do not. Here are some examples of the not so reputable.